Vacate your houses, NEMA tells residents in flood prone communities in Kogi

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), has advised people living in flood prone areas in Kogi to get ready to vacate their houses anytime from now.

The agency’s Head of Abuja Area Operation Office, Mr Bitrus Samuel, gave the advice in Lokoja on Friday during a sensitisation campaign for people living in flood prone communities in the state.

He asked the people to start packing their personal effects as the country would soon start experiencing heavy rainfall as predicted by the relevant government agencies.

Samuel urged them to form themselves into groups to respond to the flood and identify nearby highlands that they can relocate to in case of flood to minimise loss of lives and property.

He warned the people against resisting relocation in their own interest, saying that camps were already being prepared for those of them that would be displaced.

Also speaking at the event, Mr Julius Mejiyan, the Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Mangement Agency (SEMA), said that nine local government areas in the state were prone to flood disaster.

He identified the local government areas as Lokoja, Kogi Bassa, Ibaji, Ajaokuta, Omala, Olamaboro, Ofu and Idah saying that the sensitisation campaign would be taken to the nooks and crannies of the council areas.

Mejiyan also said that internally displaced people’s (IDP) camps were also being prepared in readiness for the floods.

He added that the state government was not leaving anything to chance as far as the impending flood disaster was concerned.

Leaders of the various communities visited pledged to support the exercise by spreading the message to other residents in their communities.

The Head of Sarki Noma, Alhaji Bala Namama and the Madaki of Achanyi Adankolo , Malam Sidi Ali, said that flood disaster had become a yearly occurrence in their communities .

They pleaded with federal and state governments to come to their aid by constructing drainage channels to reduce the impact of the floods on their communities.